Attracting foreign investment to France

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Thank you for being here. I’m in New York for the General Assembly week. I wanted to be with you this morning to launch an operation that my country is conducting in 50 countries around the world, which we’ve named “Invest In France Month”

France: an attractive investment location

Foreign investors like France

In 2014, two in three foreign investors believed France was an attractive investment location, compared with only one in two in 2009. (TNS-Sofres/IFA opinion poll, 2014) Thirty-three percent of them intend to expand their company’s presence in France.

France: A haven for innovation

France is ranked first, ahead of the United Kingdom and Germany, for its effective corporate tax rate on R&D operations (KPMG, Competitive Alternatives, 2014), thanks notably to France’s research tax credit. France is also the third leading recipient of R&D activities after Germany and the United Kingdom. (EY, 2014)

Falling labor costs in France

The French government’s “Responsibility and Solidarity Pact” means that labor costs will be reduced by €30 billion by 2016. As of the second quarter of 2014, hourly labor costs in French industry (€36.81) were lower than in Germany (€38.49). (Eurostat, September 2014)

France: Comprehensive social security and high living standards

France is ranked third in the world for having healthcare infrastructure that matches the needs of society. (IMD, 2014) It is also ranked eighth in the world for life expectancy at birth (81.7 years). (IMD, 2014)

Foreign investors create jobs in France

In 2013, France received 16% of all job-creating foreign investments in Europe. Almost one employee in nine in France works for a foreignowned subsidiary, while in the manufacturing sector this figure is one in five. These are higher levels than in Germany, Spain or Finland.

France leading the way in energy transition

French industry has a smaller carbon footprint relative to GDP than the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany and the United States. (IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook, 2014) France has very competitive electricity rates: €74 / MWh (exc. VAT) for manufacturers, compared with €84 in Germany, and €124 in the United Kingdom. (First half of 2014, Consumption between 500 and 2,000 MWh; Eurostat, 2014)

France is fully open to globalization

France’s location offers easy access to EMEA markets. In 2013, French airports set a new record, handling nearly 172 million commercial passengers. Paris-Charles de Gaulle is ranked second by passenger numbers after London Heathrow and first for cargo in Europe, while Paris-Le Bourget is Europe’s leading business airport. (Airports Council International, ADP, 2013)